The "Praterie" Project will significantly affect the conservation status of important animal species which are very representative of this protected area: the Meadow viper (Vipera ursinii) - listed among the endangered species by I.U.C.N. (International Union for Conservation of Nature) - whose population is more distributed in Campo Imperatore than in other places of the whole world, the Italian crested newt (Triturus Canrifex) and the Apennine chamois (Rupicapra pyrenaica ornata), the latter being the symbol of the Gran Sasso Park because after its extinction one hundred years ago, a successful reintroduction project brought it back to inhabit the mountains, where today about 500 individuals actually live. Such species are listed in the annex II and IV of the Habitat Directive, and the Apennine chamois in particular is considered a priority animal.